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TES: The largest network of teachers in the world
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~Questions~
Broad Question;What exactly is sound?Specific Question; Can the human voice break a wine glass?
~Variables~Independent Variable:Decibel (dB) LevelDependent Variable:
Time it takes glass to break
Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
Glass distance from sound source; Glass itself; Sound note; and the singer.
~Hypothesis~
I hypothesize that when I try breaking the glass at 50 dB, the glass will not break. (The graph represents this by not having any data rise above 0, therefore there isn't a bar.) At 70 dB, I predict the wine glass will break in 39 seconds, and when the volume is brought up to 90 dB, the glass will break in roughly 30 seconds.Graph of Hypothesis (Click link)
~General Plan~
Experimental Design
I plan to test sound’s capacity and attempt to break a wine glass with the human voice at different decibels, (Db). My experiment will take place on school ground because more than one of the equipment I will be using is school-owned. I will be conducting the experiment, and I will be the person testing sound’s capability to break glass. I believe that I will have to three tests for each level of Db I am using. First three tests for 50 Db, then three for 70 Db, and then finally three for 90 Db. All in all, I assume that I will be doing nine tests for reliable information. Each tests’ results will be recorded on a spreadsheet that I will make on a Microsoft Excel™ program. As I do every experiment, I will take a picture or two of each test. This way I can prove that I did the experiment, and perhaps I could even record the sound of the glass breaking.
Material List
~Background Research~
WEB RESOURCES
"Breaking Glass with Sound." Physics & Astronomy. Web. 10 Jan. 2012. <http://www.physics.ucla.edu/demoweb/demomanual/acoustics/effects_of_sound/breaking_glass_with_sound.html>.
*This website showed me a diagram of how certain scientists have attempted to do this experiment. It made me realize that I will need to make sure there won’t be any other variables that will affect my tests.*
"How Does Sound Break Glass." Break Glass Solutions. 2007. Web. 10 Jan. 2012. <http://www.breakglass.org/How-does-sound-break-glass.html>.
*This website showed me that the experiment could be potentially dangerous if I am not careful. I also learned that this test IS possible to have results showing breaking glass. I know that I will need gloves, safety glasses, and perhaps a protective coat. I will also need to be a certain distance away from the wine glass.*
Clark, Holly. "Can a human singing voice shatter glass? | Human World | EarthSky." EarthSky.org - A Clear Voice for Science. N.p., 4 June 2011. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. __<http://earthsky.org/human-world/resonant-frequency>__
*I learned from this website that I will need to ‘ping’ the glass with my finger first to find the right note to sing. So, I must amend my original Experimental Design to something that will be in tune with this new data.*
BOOK RESOURCES
Oxlade, Chris. Experiments with Sound: Explaining Sound. Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, 2009.
*This book has taught me many things about sound. Actually, I have two or three pages of notes about sound from this website that consist about sound waves, what decibels, (dB), are, what equipment I will need for my tests, what sound EXACTLY is, and other things.*
~Results~
Data Table(Click link)
Graph of Data
More Photos
Data Analysis
After looking at my data, I have found that the glass never broke. Not even when I changed the constant of distance of the glass from the amplifier, nor when I increased my volume to the ear shattering 120 dB.
ConclusionI conclude, from my data, that the mere human's voice amplified at different levels cannot break sound. Neither can a human scream. This is because the glass did not break at any of the different decibel levels tested.
DiscussionMy original hypothesis was to find out whether the human voice can break glass at amplified sounds. I hypothesized that the glass wouldn't break at 50 dB, that it would at 70 dB in 39 seconds, and at 90 dB the glass would break again in 30 seconds. When the test was performed, I found out that the glass did not break, therefore contradicting my results. There seems to be no relationship between the dependent and independent variables in the cluttered environment I was in. The environment I was in also contributed to the the tests not going too smoothly. The first time I attempted a tests, not all the resources were available to me to be able to do the test. This caused me to have to reschedule my experiment. The second time, I was in the same place, and I was able to preform my tests. However, since the room was cluttered and there were so many objects that could either absorb the sound or force it to bounce off into different objects, the test might not be credible. If there were a chance to re-do the testing, I probably would try to find a domed, clutter-free space to use for my tests. This could help the sound go to the intended target. Finally, if there was anything I learned from this, (besides the fact that sound can't break glass), was that sound can cause objects to vibrate. I found out about this when I was singing without a microphone, and passed a drum that started to resonate. I was surprised, knelt by the drum, and sang directly at it. Again, the drum began to resonate. I have concluded now that a future test on this can be whether sound can make different objects resonate different sounds back to the source.